Cynics Unlimited

Recent issues involving the proliferation of radical Islam in Canada have resurrected the debate over whether assimilation creates a more stable nation than Canada’s current policy of multiculturalism. A brainchild of Pierre Elliot Trudeau, multiculturalism is constantly derided by conservatives and traditionalists as a divisive policy that divides people into groups and does not stress loyalty to the nation.

There are many often-parroted, perfectly logical reasons to strive for assimilation rather than embrace the concept of multiculturalism:

• National Cohesion – The most obvious benefit of assimilation is cohesion between its people. A society with shared cultural traits and values is more robust than a society divided by cultural practices or ethnic origin. At its worst, multiculturalism can create a dog-eat-dog environment where various groups “compete” for government grants and special status, with all groups forgetting the latter half of their hyphenation – “Canadian”
• Reduced Legal Concerns – Multiculturalism presumes the ability to equally respect the practices of all cultures; however many cultural practices are against Canadian laws and/or contradict the spirit of human rights (examples: female circumcision, consuming domesticated species)
• Reduced Ghettoization – Under assimilation, a Canadian is a Canadian. Past the first generation of immigrants (which generally tend to settle in a single area out of need for familiarity and initial support), there should be little need for ethnic enclaves.

It has been my observation that the majority of people -immigrants and minorities included- state that full cultural assimilation is the ultimate scenario for Canada’s diversifying population. A quick browse through any of the “sinful” dance clubs in Toronto’s Richmond District or in “Americanized” movie theatres across the nation reveal large numbers of Chinese, Middle Easterners and others acting far more like Canadians than adherents of the “old world”. Indeed, few people travel halfway across the world to duplicate the repressive conditions they originally fled.

However multiculturalism will continue to prosper as an industry for one simple reason: Canada’s majority never has wanted and never will want assimilation

Huh?

“But the opposite was just written above”, you say. True. “But columnist after blogger campaigns on the premise that there should only be one Canadian culture without hyphenation!” you say. True. However, it can be easily demonstrated that many people who oppose multiculturalism simply use “assimilation” as an empty euphemism for subordination. Assimilation, unlike multiculturalism, is a two-way street. While arriving immigrants have to learn the language and culture of the locals in order to assimilate, locals must in turn embrace newcomers as equals and fellow countrymen. The 4th generation Irish/German/English Canadian must be prepared to accept that Chinese immigrants can move into his town, go to his bars, attend service at his churches, and perhaps even allow their offspring date his offspring. True assimilation removes the need for, say, affirmative action because John Q Angloid is nearly as likely to be working for the first generation immigrant as hiring him (to say nothing of culturally immersed second generation immigrants).

This is where many anti-multiculturalists draw the line. Assimilation, by definition, requires that little or no distinction be made between identifiable groups of people since the common denominator of culture makes those differences superficial. However there are Anglo-Saxons (and Nth generation Canadians who try to pass for Anglo-Saxon) who DO want strong distinctions to remain between groups. Prior to Trudeau’s implementation of multiculturalism, Canada had a bi-cultural system where “Canadians” could live in areas with differing languages, holidays and even laws. The unacknowledged native population and other segregated immigrant groups made the bi-cultural system multicultural in practice. Unmitigated by the oft-stated “evils” of socialism, secularism and political correctness, Canadians made their feelings about assimilation clear via the policies of pre-Trudeau governments and public responses to high-profile incidents:

• The Chinese Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act
  PM Harper’s apology for this policy is causing a backlash
• The Komagata Maru
• The Refusal of Entry to Jewish Refugees fleeing Adolph Hitler
• Whites-Only Immigration
• The Indian Reservation System often cited as an inspiration for South Africa’s Apartheid system.

Point made. It would seem that the fear of those “others” assimilating into the main population presented more of a threat than the current waves of neatly-ghettoized immigrants currently filling up the nation’s 3 major cities. After all, a capitalistic and assimilated society aims towards using the best possible resources for the jobs available. As delineated by Victor Davis Hansen in “Mexifornia”, third world migrants used to working dusk-till-dawn shifts under harsh conditions and for little pay are more attractive to potential employers than union-happy locals who want their creature comforts and know their rights. Similarly, university-educated foreigners whose credentials are not recognized by Canada make better cab drivers than local slackers who barely finished high school. From the perspective of a mildly-educated local, the influx of driven and/or highly-educated talent makes the idea of assimilation and the meritocracy it implies in a market-driven economy less attractive. And this before one factors in the far less logical factors like bigotry and the desire for “purity”.

The Bottom Line:

• Full cultural assimilation implies everyone is on the same ladder and has equal access to rising to the top of the ladder in all aspects
• Multiculturalism means there are several ladders where those assigned to each ladder can rise to the top of their respective ladder. Presumably one cannot jump ladders
• Anti-Multiculturalists fear Multiculturalism because they fear losing their demographic power and social/economic dominance
• Anti-Multiculturalists fear cultural assimilation even more because its meritocratic principles represent an even greater threat to their demographic power and social/economic dominance

Hence, don’t assume those who oppose Multiculturalism are necessarily in favor of assimilation.